2001 R50 Pathfinder Build-up.

Weekender41

Ready to Learn
Hello All,
First off, this is my first post to any forum of any type so I apologize for my posting ignorance. So a little about the pathy; I overpaid for it by a huge load, wishing I still had that extra money but anyways... 2001 with 120k on the dash and rusted out running boards. But after the test drive I knew I could make it a dream.
It wasn't long before all the trails in my state (WY) were calling to me so I started upgrading.
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The pathfinder is now sitting at 160K miles. Most of my time has been spent doing little upgrades to it here and there. I did the complete opposite most people do... Many people knock out the large upgrades first and then move to the little things. I am just now getting into winches and bumpers and a lift. It goes to show
what a little stock vehicle can do with some skid plates. This was absolutely crucial and beneficial as it allowed me to see what the relative stock vehicle was capable of. Now with the lift, I have a much better understanding of where I can point it. That being said here is a list of everything that I know has been done to the vehicle.
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First a Photo
pathfinder1.jpg
This is what I was working with
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Now the List
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Suspension Upgrades:
2" VSS lift coils all around
1" NX4 Front spacers
KYB GR-2 struts
Bilstein 5165 Remote Reservoir Shocks 255/70 Valving
New rear lower trailing arms
Complete New Bushings
New LCAs and Ball Joints
Rear ARB Air Locker (Pending Install)
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Tires & Wheels:
235/85R16 Cooper Discoverer AT3
Cragar Soft 8 with a better offset
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Armor:
4x4 Designs Front skid and mid skid painted tan
Custom made rear bumper with Tire carrier and jerry holder
Rocky Road outfitters SuperSliders
Rough Country XJ Winch Bumper w/ Smitty-bilt XRC-8 Winch
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Exterior Modifications:
Blacked out Hood
Custom Grill
Removed fender flares and painted area black
Cut exhaust short and added 90* bend behind rear tire
Rola Vortex roof basket w/ Extension and custom mounted
Slip resistant tape on rear bumper and sliders
Blacked out PATHFINDER on rear hatch
Added some stickers
Removed door strips (made for door ding prevention)
ARB 1250 Awning on roof basket
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Lighting:
Sylvania ZXE Headlight Bulbs
All bright white LED interior lighting (may change color)
All led rear taillight housing bulbs
2 Rigid Industries Dually D2 flood lights
2 7" HID lights on the front hoop.
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Interior Modifications:
Wet Okole Seat Covers
Removed rear seats and made custom storage platform
Husky Floor liners in rear
Cheap floor liners up front
Custom made drawers and shelf (favorite piece!!! :) )
Removed rear hand grips and coat hooks
ARB 30L Fridge/Freezer
Cargo Barrier (pending install)
ARB Dual Canister Compressor
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Stereo:
This was all done before I purchased it so I don't know what is in the doors but...
Pioneer CDA-9886 Head unit
Pioneer Tweeters
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Navigation:
Garmin Nuvi 50LM
Added Garmin Topo 25K on WY, MT, ID, SD, ND, MN and NE
A Gazetteer for all states in my region
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Future Plans:
Some are happening soon and some will happen as I see fit.
-.75" Wheel Spacers
-Change interior LED color (bright white is literally way too bright)
-Change head unit (it doesn't charge ipod while playing so its very inconvenient)
-A graphic that neatly says WYOMING OVERLAND will be placed across the sides tying in the silhouette
-4'x5' tow behind trailer will be happening this summer
-Put in a fuse block so the wiring is easier to do once the winch comes
-I may do window tint but that is something that is on the complete bottom of list.
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As It Sits in the Driveway
IMG_1311.jpg
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Cheers!
 

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Weekender41

Ready to Learn
Okay so 10 Images per post. If im doing this wrong please notify me haha. So the Skid was next from AC. The fit was a little weird with the front grill guard but it worked.
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Then I took off the factory roof rack.
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Then just recently I removed the factory tow package, man was that a pain lol. I have plans for a new bumper soon and added some black to the emblems.
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After reading a lot into the forums about the lift from AC and needing manual locking hubs so I got a pair.
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Welp that pretty much got it to the end of the upgrades for a long while and I enjoyed running trails like this.
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About a month after that I started getting some goodies again. I am really happy I purchased the MV-50. this way I have a great way to pump the tires back up after the trails.
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Next was a gift, the rocky road outfitters super sliders. I did modify them some, I put grip tape on the top and then put through bolts in the front and back of the sliders. Install was tough as crap for me with the simple hand tools I have. I don't know how some of the others did theirs but sheesh haha.
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Ok so this is a shout-out to a user on here named Stioc on his thread he built feet for his roof rack to lower the profile so this credit goes very much to him.
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This has pretty much finalized what is there now, the air intake has been modified very slightly to allow more air, I have ordered the large center skid from AC and the smittybilt XRC-8 winch. I am setting up an appointment with Armorology to make the r50 a front bumper to fit the winch. With that installed down the road the 2" lift will come and ill have to call it quits for the upgrades till the spending money can catch up again. well that's a wrap. Any questions or comments please let them come.
 
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Allof75

Pathfinder
First- Welcome to Expedition Portal! :sombrero:
And second- nice build! I think we have similar tastes in upgrades :smiley_drive:

Always loved that color combo- Looking good, and eager to see the future mods!
 

Weekender41

Ready to Learn
First- Welcome to Expedition Portal! :sombrero:
And second- nice build! I think we have similar tastes in upgrades :smiley_drive:

Always loved that color combo- Looking good, and eager to see the future mods!

Thanks you! Yeah I didn't want anything too crazy but with all the times I find myself camping in the Rockies, I felt like the peace of mind would be nice. As for the color.. I think it looks nice but im thinking about making the fender flares and rear bumper black because the new winch bumper will be black... Idk. Thanks again! and ill keep posting if I can become better with this forum thing.
 

Weekender41

Ready to Learn
I like it, nice job!

Thank you very much. Your mild budget build on here had me captivated for a great deal of time and it must have gave me the upgrade itch haha. I only wish I had the same weather as you, Wyoming is not known for its warmth. I would like to know how the locker is treating you, I went back and forth from winch to lockers and back again haha.
 

Weekender41

Ready to Learn
So after some inspecting I did a while back, I noticed that the pathfinder came with OME 921 coils front and rear with nitrocharger shocks. I'm still contemplating a lift but can anyone let me know if the krypton fabrications sfb is more safe than the AC lift? I hear a lot about those cv's with the AC lift but I hear panhard (sp) rod issues with the KF sfd. Also there is a noticeable price difference after all the necessary parts for the sfd. As for the nitrochargers, I would not say they are new but definitely not old either. If I were to get the stiffer springs and remove the sway bar, would those shocks be able to extend very far? It seems like those rancho shocks are heavily favored for longer travel. Any and all inputs and comments, as always are very appreciated.
 

bushnut

Adventurer
check out the Nissan Pathfinder Off Road Association (NPORA) forum most of your questions will be answered there.
BTW nice Pathy I wish mine were in as good a shape.
 

stioc

Expedition Leader
The OME springs came in three stiffness (load carrying) levels. I believe the 921 were light, 923 medium and 928 heavy. They only offered one spring stiffness for the rear and the part number was 922. I have no experience with the nitrochargers so I can't answer that question.

I do have a couple of questions for you:

1. What are your plans for the truck? I ask because if you're looking to remove swaybars etc this is mostly going to be a trail-only rig? For a daily-driven truck where most of your miles will be on the black top you may not like the effect on the handling in everyday driving. Also, you asked about the shock travel which is usually a good thing but like with anything too much is not...there are brake lines etc that you will want to test to make sure you don't rip them out.

2. What was the purpose of removing the factory tow hitch? I ask because while you shed some weight but you probably don't have an equivalent recovery point now?

x2 on NPORA btw.
 
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Weekender41

Ready to Learn
1. remove swaybars etc this is mostly going to be a trail-only rig? ... brake lines etc that you will want to test to make sure you don't rip them out.

2. What was the purpose of removing the factory tow hitch? I ask because while you shed some weight but you probably don't have an equivalent recovery point now?

x2 on NPORA btw.

So first off here, with stiffer springs of the AC lift I would surmise that body roll wouldn't be as bad, with as slow as I drive anyway I wouldn't think of fast cornering to be an issue. Perhaps uneven surface of lane changing could be a problem though... hmmm Ill have to trial this.
Next with the brake lines, they are braided steel (previous owner) and zip tied to random points to reduce sag, they seem much longer than my friends 02 r50 so my guess is that wouldn't be an issue. Id lift each side to check drooping to see if they become tight before anything off-road however.
Next with the factory tow removed.. this is only temporary, the piece was falling off in chunks (the black coating looked 4 layers thick) and some parts have began to rust. I am simply going to be stripping all the coating off, blasting the metal, protecting and recoating it then placing it back on the vehicle. That is until I get the new rear bumper made (my friends final for his welding degree/certificate).
Now for the big question... what is she used for? Living in Wyoming I have medicine bow and curt gowdy within 20 miles and I spend a great deal of time up in the mountains camping and hiking. More times than not I have came across trails to the good camp sites being completely snowed in or extremely uneven due to wash out and/ or covered in fallen trees. Having a less frightening time getting to the destinations would be nice. I also head down to different passes in Colorado whenever I get the chance and some of those my stock r50 had some nerve racking moments. Myself and a few friends have always had trucks or side by sides with trailers to get our camping done but now they are switching to land cruisers and jeeps and 4runners after selling the side by sides and I found the pathfinder. The idea would to have a more secure off road 'rig' and to have peace in mind knowing myself and the gf wont have to worry as much about the trail obstacles we find. This is not be a rock crawler really, but an expedition vehicle to cover the bases. There is a lot I can add to the vehicle once the actual capability and protection of the vehicle go up (i.e. fab some drawers, cb, lights, snorkel, etc.) To put it another way, I'm out in the mountains and forests a lot and having some goodies (or a lot) would be nice. I still have my truck with a trailer big enough to tow the pathy if it becomes a trail-only rig but with seeing this excellent SAS xterra with tons of goodies still being used as a DD, I don't think ill have to worry.
 

Weekender41

Ready to Learn
Oh and NPORA is great for most things. I find myself pulling the research hat and wallet out too often though. And with this site here, I figured it would have more people into trail running and exploring than rock crawling...even though the SAS'd Xterra with fox racing shocks was niiiiiice.
P.S. The pathfinder is averaging 17.5 mpg city during our snow storms and I was getting around 22 mpg city in the summer, all on 85 octane....that seems much higher than it should be...
 

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